Osun State Government has handed over the runway and airport corridor for the beginning of the construction of what they say will be Africa’s first aviation city in Ido-Osun.
The initiative, according to the government, is a testament to the current administration’s untiring efforts to keep the dream of having an airport in Osun State alive and part of the administration’s relentless efforts to restore the collective hope of the citizens and stimulate the state’s economy.
The state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the government had partnered with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to build the aviation city, which would provide civil and military air flight operations in the state.
Oyetola, while handing over the official documents of the runway and airport corridor, said that the handover ceremony signaled the inception of another mutually-beneficial relationship with the NAF to speed up the construction and expedite the completion of the airport.
Air Vice-Marshal Moses Onilede, who represented Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amoo, lauded the governor for what he narrated as a major milestone in the state’s history.
According to him, the aviation city is the sequel to the relocation of the Research and Development Centre of NAF from Kaduna to Osogbo in 2021, in addition to the existing Nigerian Air Force Institute of Safety and a Special Operation Force Group at Ipetu-Ijesha.
Onilede said: “The project would comprise an aircraft manufacturing plant, a maintenance repair organization, and an unmanned aerial vehicle production center, among others.
“It would be the first of its kind on the continent. The runway is, therefore, a critical requirement for these facilities. This is why this occasion is not only a laudable one but also a major milestone towards many other accomplishments.”
